Hunting Trails
by MidnightAconite
Summary: "How was she to know that this was the beginning of his love letter?" Little gifts start popping up for Beth around the prison, hidden in plain sight. Bethyl [Beth x Daryl]
1. Dear Beth

When it started, she didn't even realize it.

It was early in the morning. Judith was being fussy, crying big crocodile tears as Beth tried to calm her down, whispering soothing words in the girl's ear and rocking her in her arms. While this would usually work, it was having no effect on the infant on that particular day. In fact, Beth could have sworn that it was making things worse.

The blonde heaved a sigh, wondering what else she could do. She had already tried feeding her, changing her, and playing with her, and had only earned a yellow rubber duck to the face for all of her efforts. After several hours of this, anyone else would have given up and taken Judith to Rick, but Beth was not about to back down. Maggie had always told her that she was as stubborn as an elephant's leg.

Beth preferred the word 'persistent'.

So she set the screaming baby down gently in her crib while she glanced around the room, looking for a solution to her current problem. First, she tried turning on the mobile above the crib.

Judith cried louder.

Sensing her charge's disappointment, she turned the mobile off and grabbed a stuffed bear near her feet, waving him in front of Judy's face and smiling at her. For a moment, the child stopped her crying and reached for the toy with her chubby baby hands. Beth happily gave it to her, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so.

"There's a good girl," the blonde cooed, unable to keep the grin off her lips.

She barely had time to dodge the bear as Judith threw it back at her head.

Beth realized, as she sank to the floor with her back against the crib, that she'd celebrated her victory too soon. Judith was crying again, and louder than before, as if punishing her for even _thinking_ that something as paltry as a stuffed bear was enough to quiet her. She really should have seen it coming. The rubber ducky had been her first warning.

The blonde leaned her head back against the crib, closing her eyes momentarily. She would _not_, under any circumstances, give up. Even if she went deaf from Judith's cries. And from the way things were going, that seemed very likely.

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes…and was forced to close them again. Something was shining directly in front of her, reflecting the pale sunlight coming from the small window. She placed her hand in front of her eyes, managing to block some of light, and crawled over to the shiny object that was resting near the door of the cell.

It was a silver rattle, beautifully made and obviously very expensive. A relic of _before._ She picked it up, marveling at the small, intricate carvings of songbirds on the top of the rattle. There was a smudge of dirt on one side of it, marring its otherwise perfect surface. She wiped it off with the bottom of her shirt, returning it to its former glory. How had she not noticed this here before? She was aghast that she could have missed something so beautiful after spending so much time in Judith's room.

Obviously, there was something wrong with her eyes.

Deciding that she had nothing to lose, she lifted herself up off the floor and headed back to the crib, rattle in hand. She shook it in front of Judith, careful to keep her head back this time. If Judy decided to throw this back at her, Beth was sure she'd get a concussion.

At the sound of the rattle, the baby's crying lessened. Judith tilted her head slightly, watery eyes looking curiously at the silver toy. She reached out with both hands, pulling the top of the rattle to her mouth as Beth held onto the handle, still not one-hundred-percent trusting the mischievous infant.

However, as soon as Judith started sucking on the rattle, the crying stopped and there was nothing but happy gurgling sounds coming from her. Judy laughed as she shook the rattle between her fingers, snot dripping down onto it in happy glee. Beth beamed at the little girl as she grabbed a Kleenex and wiped the snot from her face.

"Aw, are you happy now, baby girl?" she asked Judy softly, smiling brightly at her.

Judith's only response was to shake the rattle even harder than before, causing Beth to laugh and place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry I didn't get this for you sooner," she murmured, glancing back at the cell door where she'd spotted the rattle in the first place.

When she reflects on this scene later, she'll realize how stupid she was. How she shouldn't have just dismissed it and gone on her merry way, how she should have taken the time to realize that the rattle being there was no accident.

But hindsight is twenty-twenty. And on that day, her thoughts were focussed only on getting Judith to stop crying and nothing else.

How was she to know that this was the first sentence in his love letter?

**A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first story on the site. It'll be a multi-chapter fic, likely not exceeding 10 chapters, but we'll see. Review if you care to do so. I'm always happy to hear what people think. **


	2. A Little Bit of Sweetness

**A/N: Wow. Thank you so much to everyone who favourited, reviewed and followed this story! The response I've gotten has been amazing and I'm honored that you guys like the story so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter! XOXO**

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The second time, it made her cry.

Beth woke in her cell with an empty belly that growled at her from beneath the covers. She put her hands over-top of it and pressed down gently, willing the noises to stop.

They didn't.

With a groan she rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face in the pillow. Maybe if she stayed still, and tried to think about something else, the hunger pains would go away. She imagined that she was standing on a sandy beach in Hawaii, looking out at the clear, cool water. The waves lapped gently at her ankles, the sand feeling wonderfully warm under her feet. Tropical fish swam around her, creating an underwater rainbow. She could practically taste the delicious sushi they would make…

_Traitor,_ Beth scolded her brain angrily. _And I hate sushi._

Images of roasted turkeys dancing with top hats and carrying big "eat me" signs flashed through her mind.

_Well played, brain. Well played._

She rolled out of bed and pulled her clothes on, deciding that she might as well head down to the kitchen and start making breakfast. She hummed a soft tune as she went down the stairs, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. At the doorway to the kitchen, however, she froze.

Sitting (or rather snoozing) at the table was Daryl Dixon, resident badass. His head was turned sideways, resting on his arms which were crossed on the table and Beth could have sworn he was drooling a bit. She suppressed a giggle.

Beth had always had a soft spot for the redneck. Not just because he was a great hunter and provider for the group, but because whenever he was around, she felt safe. And her stomach, which up until now hadn't stopped its incessant nagging, quieted at the sight of him. Butterflies took the place of her hunger pangs.

She ignored them. It was stupid to get this worked up over a man who barely even knew she existed. She entered the kitchen as softly as she could, trying not to wake him, and walked over to the pots sitting by the (non-operational) stove.

Unfortunately, just as she lifted the biggest pot to start making (cold) instant oatmeal, she somehow managed to knock a smaller one off the counter. It landed on the floor with a loud _clang_ and Beth winced. She'd done it now.

"Yer gonna wake the dead, Greene," Daryl grumbled, lifting his head up and stretching his arms over his head.

Beth tried not to let her eyes linger too long on his biceps.

"I'm sorry for waking you," she murmured, flushing as he looked at her. "I was trying to be quiet…"

"Ya didn' try hard 'nough," he said, not bothering to cover his mouth as he let out a huge yawn. "What're ya doing up so early?"

As if on cue, her stomach let out a loud grumble and Beth felt her blush spread to the tops of her ears. Daryl snorted.

"Guess tha' answers ma question."

"I wasn't planning on making breakfast just for _me,_" she huffed, though Daryl had suggested no such thing. "I think Carol deserves a day off."

Daryl grunted in response. Beth took that as a positive sign. She poured the instant oatmeal into the pot and started stirring, trying to ignore the bile that rose to her throat. All they'd eaten for breakfast for months was oatmeal, and even though she despised it, there was never enough of it to fill her up. What she wouldn't give for a big plate of biscuits and gravy…

"What do you miss eating the most?" Beth heard her own voice asking. As soon as the words left her mouth she felt embarrassed. God, he probably thought she was a complete –

"Nuthin," Daryl replied.

She turned to him with a surprised look. "Really? Nothing at all?"

He shrugged one shoulder, turning away from her gaze with a (dare she think it?) slight blush on his face. " 's just food. Ya only need it to keep yer body goin'. 'sides," he grinned. "I 'ave all the squirrels I can eat."

Beth laughed heartily, realizing that she shouldn't have expected any less from Daryl Dixon.

"What's going on in here?"

It was Maggie. She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes with one hand and holding Glenn's hand with the other. The pair sat down across the table from Daryl, while Beth started placing some oatmeal into bowls for all of them.

"We were just talking about what food we miss most," Beth told them as she placed a bowl of cold oatmeal in front of Daryl.

"Pizza!" Glenn and Maggie said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed, with Glenn putting an arm around Maggie's shoulders.

"A woman after my own heart," he said, nuzzling her nose with his own.

"Ugh. Get a room," Daryl said with an eye-roll.

The two lovebirds ignored him and continued to be cute with one another, while Beth could see the hunter was barely repressing his gag reflex.

Rick and Carol walked in next, with Carol carrying Judith, and Zach came in after them, yawning loudly and scratching his back. He winked at Beth, who only gave him a polite smile in return. Zach was a sweet guy, and the blonde knew he had a crush on her, but she really wasn't interested. No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, her thoughts always revolved around a certain redneck…

"Beth?"

The said girl snapped back to reality and flushed. "Sorry Rick," she apologized, realizing that she had been standing and staring off into space with two bowls of oatmeal in her hands. She quickly set them down in front of Rick and Carol, and went back quickly to get a bowl for Zach.

The sheriff laughed. "You're really out of it today, huh?"

"She's just distracted. We were discussing what food we missed most from…before," Glenn informed him.

"Ah. What I wouldn't give for a good steak," Rick sighed.

"Or a steaming cup of coffee," Carol added with a small smile.

"Or a cheeseburger!" Zach exclaimed, earning a chuckle from the rest of the group.

As Beth finally managed to fill her own plate, Maggie's voice called out to her.

"What about you, Bethie? What do you miss the most?"

The blonde gave a soft, dreamy smile. "Apples."

The entire group stared at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"All the food in the world," Zach said. "And you pick _apples?_ You're weird, Greene."

Beth only shrugged, taking her plate and sitting down next to Daryl, who almost imperceptibly moved away from her. She noticed, but tried not to take it personally. She knew how much he liked his personal space.

"I know it sounds weird," Beth began, knowing that they expected her to explain herself. "When we were living on the farm, we had a huge apple tree out behind the barn. Do you remember, Mags?"

Her older sister snorted. "How could I forget? You used to try to climb the damn thing nearly every Fall. Couldn't get past the lower branches."

The group (minus Daryl, who had gotten very quiet all of a sudden) gave a low chuckle.

"There were these beautiful Granny Smiths that grew at the very top of the tree," Beth continued. "But, like my sister said, I could never get past the top branches. So Shawn," her voice caught as she spoke her brother's name, "would climb up and get them for me. He'd throw them down to me and I'd sit on the lower branches eating as many as I could until I couldn't eat anymore. Shawn would climb down first, then help me down, and we'd walk back home, covered in sticky apple juice…"

Beth went quiet and the entire room went quiet along with her. To her (and likely everyone else's) surprise, Daryl was the first to break the silence.

"Rick…we should go," he grunted. The hunter rose from the table and headed out the door before Rick had even reacted.

"Uh, right…" Rick said, looking apologetically at everyone. "I'm helping Daryl with the traps. Maybe we got a rabbit this time…"

"I'll go with you," Zach said, getting up from his seat and straightening his back, trying to look (Beth thought) macho.

Rick opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. He simply nodded and they both left the kitchen.

Beth was exhausted. She'd spent her morning killing walkers along the fence line, then helping Carol with lunch, and finally spending time with Judith. It was early evening now, and she had only just managed to get Judy to sleep. She trudged back towards her cell, yawning and trying to keep her eyes open. She opened the door to her cell, fully intent on collapsing on the bed, when she stopped.

There, on top of her pillow, sat three tiny crab-apples.

She walked slowly towards them, wondering vaguely if she was hallucinating. But as she picked them up, held all three in her hands, she knew that they were real. Dirty and full of holes and a bit ugly but _real._ Tears rolled down her cheeks and she pressed the apples against her lips.

_Shawn, _she thought. _I miss you so much._

She put two apples in her pockets and held one in her hand. She couldn't just eat them herself…she had to find someone to share them with. Filled with a new energy, she turned and ran out of her cell, telling herself that the first person she saw would be the person that she'd share with.

And to her great delight, Daryl Dixon was the first person she saw.

He was walking down the corridor, likely to his own cell, his back turned to her.

"Daryl!" she called out. He froze to the spot when he heard her voice. She caught up to him, grinning from ear to ear, and she held out the crab apple to him.

"Tha hell is that?" he mumbled.

"It's an orange," she teased, and was surprised to see that he couldn't seem to keep his eyes on her. He seemed to be purposely avoiding her gaze and his skin seemed to be redder than she had ever seen it. Maybe the sun had been too strong today…

"Someone left these for me," she told him, taking the other two apples out of her pockets. "They were on my pillow when I came into my cell. I can't just eat them on my own…not when there's so little food to go around. So please. Take one. You could use a little sweetness."

Daryl snorted. "I don' think crab-apples are sweet…"

To her surprise, however, he took one anyway. As he did, she noticed what looked like thin red scratches on the palms and top of his hand. Where on earth had he gotten those? She was distracted from her musing, however, when Daryl bit down into the crab-apple. The look on his face was priceless.

"That…is the worst thang I've ever bitten into," he said, wiping the juice off his lips with the back of his hand. "I'll stick to ma squirrels."

Beth couldn't keep the grin off her face. Being around Daryl always made her happy. Her heart was beating just a little quicker than usual and she felt lighter. Like she could just float away…

"Whatcha got there, Beth?"

Both Daryl and Beth turned to see Zach strolling up to them, chest out, looking like a peacock. Though it was subtle, from the corner of her eye she noticed the slight tightening of Daryl's jaw at the boy's approach.

"Crab-apples," she replied, hoping that he wouldn't ask her for one. She immediately felt ashamed at herself for that thought. "Someone left them in my cell for me."

"I think it's pretty obvious who did that," Zach said matter-of-factly.

Beth's eyes widened and she felt Daryl stiffen almost imperceptibly beside her.

"Really?" she gasped. "Who?"

Zach gave her the slyest grin she'd ever seen before he answered.

"Me."

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**A/N: Oh snap! Zach's pants seem to be on fire...**

**Please review if you liked it, hated it, or even felt indifferent about it! :) **


	3. Hair

**A/N: You guys are seriously the best. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, favourites, follows and encouragement! I am honored. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. :)**

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Her entire life, everyone had underestimated Beth Greene.

Growing up, she was known either as the doctor's daughter, Maggie and Shawn's little sister, or the youngest Greene girl. In school, she was generally well-liked but by no means considered "popular". That was just fine with her. Though she had her group of friends, Beth preferred solitude. She enjoyed writing in her journal, listening to music, taking care of the animals on the farm and, most of all, singing.

But it was because of her preference for solitude and her kind, quiet nature that people thought she was slow. A 'dumb blonde'. As if the amount of words that came out of a person's mouth had ever been a true measure of intelligence.

Later, when the shit hit the fan and the dead started walking, everyone had treated her like glass. She was to be protected, she was to be sheltered, she was to take care of the children (and be treated like one).

What no one knew, what no one could have ever dreamed of, was how perceptive Beth really was. She had a bullshit-detector with an accuracy rate of 99.9%. Both Shawn and Maggie had known better than to try to lie to her, because Beth knew. She always knew.

And right now, the bullshit coming from Zach was off the charts.

"You?" she said slowly, cocking her head to the side as she observed him.

"Yup," Zach affirmed, that annoying grin still plastered on his face.

"When?"

There it was. The slightest hesitation – a small widening of the eyes, a slight furrowing of the brow. "This morning. When I went to check the traps with Rick and Daryl."

The aforementioned man had not moved since Zach had gotten there. Beth glanced at him and saw how hard his fist was clenched by his side, how every muscle in his body seemed to be tight and shaking slightly.

"This morning," Beth repeated, her eyes narrowing. "So Daryl would have seen you, right?"

The grin faltered. "Uh, no. I went off for a bit, while they were checking traps."

"Alone?"

"Yeah. I can handle myself. No walker's gonna get the best of me."

Beth highly doubted that, but said nothing. She knew exactly how to call Zach out on his lie. And Daryl was going to help her.

She turned fully to face the hunter, who still hadn't said anything or moved an inch. He was so tightly wound, Beth was a bit afraid he was going to snap.

"Daryl," she began. He didn't react. "Daryl…?" Beth repeated, a bit louder.

Nothing. His gaze was zeroed in on Zach and the blonde wasn't sure if he had heard her at all. So she reached out and touched his shoulder.

That was a big mistake. In her haste, she had completely forgotten how much Daryl hated to be touched. By anyone. Especially when he was as wound up as he was now. Her touch seemed to snap him back to reality. He grabbed the hand touching his shoulder by the wrist roughly and turned to her, a fierce look on his face. But that wasn't what troubled her. It was the look in his eyes that caused her to gasp.

His gaze was intense, full of anger, frustration, and anxiety, but there was something…_else_. Something far more personal, something that had only flashed for a split second before it was gone. Something that made her heart rate increase and her cheeks fill with color. She didn't know what it was, but whatever it had been…it was beautiful.

"Daryl…" she heard herself saying, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is Zach telling the truth?"

The hunter opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He tried again, his whole body shaking from the effort, but it was in vain. Daryl Dixon, who normally had a comeback for everything, was at a loss for words. This was not what Beth had been expecting. What on Earth was preventing him from answering such a simple question?

He was close to her now, breathing hard and she felt her cheeks burn a deeper red. He still held onto her wrist, his fingers digging into her skin, but she made no move to pull away.

Everything would have been fine if Zach hadn't chosen that exact moment to open his mouth.

"Hey! You're hurting her!" he yelled at Daryl, making a move to step between them.

His words seemed to break whatever spell the hunter had been under. He let go of Beth instantly, stepping back from her.

All three of them stared at Beth's left wrist, which was marred by an ugly red handprint. It looked much worse than it actually was, and Beth opened her mouth to say so, but Zach (once again) beat her to it.

"Are you okay? Let me see," he demanded, getting between her and Daryl, who had such a look of shame on his face that Beth felt her heart ache.

"No, it's fine," she said, snatching her wrist back from Zach's prying fingers and trying to step past him.

But of course, Zach wasn't listening. He pushed her directly behind himself and turned on Daryl with a fury. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

"Zach, stop it!" Beth pleaded, trying in vain to get past the boy in front of her. "Daryl, I'm fine, you didn't – "

But she stopped mid-sentence. In that moment she knew, without him saying anything at all, that her words weren't going to get through. He was looking at her with so much remorse and so much _pain_ that she felt a lump form in her throat and all her reassurances died on her lips.

" 'm so sorry Beth," Daryl said, his voice so soft and yet rough at the same time, a combination only he could pull off. For a second, it looked like he was going to say more, but he didn't. Instead, with his eyes now glued to the ground, he turned around and left.

She wanted to run after him. She wanted to grab him by the arm and spin him around and explain to him that she was all right, that he hadn't hurt her, that she forgave him. She wanted to shake him until he listened to her. She wanted to kiss him until all the fear and pain and suffering his eyes was gone.

But she could only stand still, frozen behind Zach, and watch him walk away.

"Yeah, you better run!" Zach called after Daryl as he disappeared down the corridor. Normally, Beth would have rolled her eyes such bravado, but at the moment they were too busy filling up with tears. When Zach turned back to look at her, he foolishly attributed her sadness to a physical cause.

"Aw Beth, don't be upset. He's gone now. Let me look at your wrist."

"Don't touch me," she practically snarled at him, pulling her arm away from him once again. "He didn't do anything wrong."

The boy gaped at her. "He didn't do anything _wrong?!"_ he repeated. "He assaulted you!"

She had the urge to hit him. But in that moment, she could do nothing but simply say, "You're an idiot, Zachary."

And with that, she turned and sprinted back to her cell, the crabapples in her pockets bouncing in her pockets.

* * *

Five days later, and things hadn't improved.

Daryl was avoiding her. Every time she tried to get near him, he'd move away or mutter some excuse about having to go work on his bike. It seemed like he could barely stand being in the same room as her. Zach, on the other hand, didn't seem to want to leave her alone. Every where she went there he was, trying to flirt with her. And Beth was almost at her breaking point.

"Ugh!" she growled as her last hair elastic broke and stung her hand. She glared at the broken black elastic furiously and flung it to the ground. Carol raised an eyebrow at her.

Both women had been working outside in the garden, tending to the various vegetables that started to thrive. Though Beth normally enjoyed gardening, the real reason she was out here today was because Daryl was close by, tinkering with his bike. As he'd been doing more and more frequently these past few days.

"Something wrong, Bethie?" Carol asked her, wiping the sweat away from her brow as she peered up at the blonde.

The girl shook her head, heaving a sigh. "Just having some bad luck," she muttered.

The older woman studied her, cocking her head to the side as she did. "Is that why you've been so grumpy these past few days?"

Beth flushed. "Has it been that noticeable?"

"Well, that's the tenth elastic you've snapped in three days," Carol said with a soft laugh, turning back to the carrots she had been pulling out of the ground. "You wanna talk about it?"

The blonde sighed, kneeling down beside her. "It's just been a difficult few days."

"Boy trouble?" Carol teased, nudging Beth with her shoulder.

"Something like that," she murmured, her eyes flickering briefly to Daryl.

"I've noticed that it's been tense between you two lately," Carol started, putting the carrots into the basket and facing away from Beth. "And I know that he's hurting too. But whatever it is that you two are arguing about, it's not worth it. Especially not now, with the world the way it is. Just go talk to him."

"But he won't talk to me," Beth told her, hoping that she wasn't letting her exasperation through too much.

"I thought it was the other way around. That poor boy's been following you around like a lost puppy."

Boy? Oh god. _Zach._ "It's not – "

"Your fault, I know. Of course it's not. But sometimes it's better to meet each other half way then spend all this time being angry," Carol said with a wave of her hand, cutting Beth off mid-sentence.

Beth opened her mouth to tell her that this had nothing to do with Zach, but it was too late. Maggie was calling Carol's name, asking her to come help with something in the kitchen. The older woman smiled at Beth apologetically and asked her if she could finish up with the vegetables.

"Of course," the blonde said with a small smile, and with a small pat on her shoulder, Carol was gone.

Beth Greene and Daryl Dixon were the last two people outside.

And before she knew what she was doing, she got up from her knees, dusted them off and strode towards the redneck, ready to make him talk to her, even if it killed her.

He had moved from his bike to work under one of the cars, so all she could see was his lower body. She stood by his feet, and crossed her arms, straightening her back and waiting for him to feel her presence.

He didn't.

"Ahem," she said, knowing that she probably sounded pretentious but didn't care. He was going to talk to her, damn it.

After a few more beats, Daryl moved away from the car and his face appeared. He lifted his hand up to block the sun and his eyes widened when he saw Beth standing there. For her part, Beth was surprised to find that for all she had wanted to say to him, for all she had wanted to express, the only thing that came out of her mouth was, "Hi."

Daryl just stared at her, his mouth slightly open and the faintest flush on his cheeks. "Yer hair…" he whispered.

Beth blushed furiously and self-consciously brushed some of her wild blonde locks from her face. _I must look like a total wreck, _she thought.

"My last elastic broke," she informed him. "I haven't been able to put my hair up all day and it's really hot out so it gets frizzy…" she trailed off, suddenly finding the ground interesting.

"Looks nice," he told her, making her stare at _him_. He cleared his throat, rising from his position on the ground to stand across from her, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "I mean, uh, I haven' seen it down is all…"

"Thank you. But it's more of a danger than anything else. I'm gonna have to ask Maggie to cut it…"

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Beth broke it first.

"Look…I just want you to know that whatever you think you did to me, you…didn't."

_Well, that sounded stupid_,she thought. She tried again.

"What I mean to say is that I forgive you," she said, locking her gaze to his. "You didn't hurt me. You didn't even scare me, really. You just gripped my wrist a bit too hard."

He shook his head. "I'd no right to put my hands on ya," he replied, his eyes filled with self-loathing. "I acted just like my – "

He didn't finish but he didn't need to. Beth knew exactly who he meant.

She shook her head firmly. "Daryl Dixon, you listen to me. You are not, and will never be, like your father. You are a kind, good and honest man and I'm lucky to know you."

He looked away from her but she could see, despite his embarrassment, that her words had made a positive impression on him. His posture relaxed slightly.

"And I feel like you had something to tell me that night," she said softly, almost as if she were scared that she would frighten him away, and stepped closer to him. "What was it?"

They were only a foot away now. She could feel that familiar fog fill her brain, the one that made everything else irrelevant but him. Her heart had started its erratic beat, the one it seemed to reserve especially for him, and her breathing sounded very loud in her ears. He smelt of forest and sweat and something distinctly Daryl.

She wondered if it would be terribly unladylike to pounce on him right now.

"Beth," he sighed her name, half-irritated and half-something else. But despite his tone he moved just a touch closer to her, perhaps unconsciously.

"At least tell me if Zach's as big a liar as I think he is," she asked, helping to close the distance just a little further.

He was going to tell her. He was going to tell her _everything._ At least, that's what she thought when he opened his mouth. Unfortunately, the universe (that bitch) had other plans.

Carl came out of nowhere, nearly giving Beth a coronary and causing Daryl to swear a blue streak.

"Where tha hell did ya come from, boy?" he demanded, as ninja Carl grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him away from Beth.

"You promised to give me some crossbow lessons today," the teen reminded him. "I'm sorry I interrupted you making goo-goo eyes at Beth."

"Ya watch yer mouth boy," Daryl growled, trying to look menacing as Carl dragged him away, but the blush on his face made that rather difficult. And judging from Carl's eye roll, he hadn't been the least bit intimidated.

Beth watched them leave, a small smile on her face. At least it was a start.

* * *

That night, as she walked back to her room from the showers, her hair dripping wet and falling in her face, Beth seriously considered chopping it off right then and there. It had been getting in her way all day, and in everyone else's when strands of it had shown up in the soup. That had been more than a little gross.

As she approached her cell, something caught her eye. Tied to the bars of the door, with what looked like a long piece of thread, was a small package of brand new hair elastics. She untied them from the door and looked at the white tag that held them together. It had a smudge of dirt across its back and that made Beth grin.

Unlike her old elastics, which had been a plain black, these had much more beautiful colors. Dark greens, chocolate browns, a few that were a lovely golden yellow…the colors of the wilderness.

The colors of the forest.

She realized almost instantly that this was no accident.

It was a clue.

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**A/N: Please review, and tell me your thoughts on this chapter. :) Mucho love to all! XOXO**


	4. Weeds

**A/N: Hi everyone! Once again, thank you for your wonderful reviews and your kindness! You make a girl feel special. :) Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, but I hope that you all enjoy it and that it puts a smile on your face! XOXO**

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Once in a while, the stars align and you get lucky. Everything falls into place and you get to sit back and relax, enjoying a rare moment of Zen in an otherwise chaotic world.

As she laid on the ground with the walker's decaying jaws inches away from biting into her flesh, Beth realized that this wasn't one of those times. There was no Zen to be had in a world where the dead had risen and were hankering for someone to take a bite out of.

She supposed, as she scrambled backwards as far as she could from the dead man, that she shouldn't have been surprised. Everyone had told her that she wasn't fit for this, that she should stay in the prison and take care of Judith, like she was meant to do. All she had wanted was a chance to prove herself and to prove them all wrong.

_Well,_ she thought wryly, as her back hit the trunk of a large tree and the Walker stumbled ever closer to her body, _at least Maggie will get to say 'I told you so'. _

* * *

_Two Days Ago_

"No."

"Maggie, please," Beth begged, shifting Judith on her hip. "I could help – "

"You're helping enough as it is," her sister replied firmly. "We count on you to help around the prison and to take care of Judy."

"And I don't mind doing that," Beth said, following Maggie as she went down the stairs. Maggie was obviously eager to get away from her. "But I could do so much more."

"Bethy," Maggie said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The best thing you can do is to _stay here. _I can't be watching your back while we're out there."

"You don't have to watch my back," Beth said exasperated. "I can take care of myself."

Her big sister rolled her eyes at her and snorted. "Beth, I love you, but you have no idea what you're saying. How do you propose to 'take care of yourself'? Do you know how to use a gun? A knife?"

The blonde winced, knowing that Maggie had her there. "Not as well as you," she admitted. "But how can I get any better when you refuse to let me practice."

"Practice? Is that what you're calling it now?"

"Maggie – "

"No!" the brunette practically yelled at her. "You're not going out there!"

Sensing the tension in the air, Judith started to sniffle and within seconds, she was bawling uncontrollably. Beth held her close to her body, kissing the top of her head and cooing in her ear.

"It's okay, baby girl. It's okay," she murmured and Maggie sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Let me take her. Go get some food in you."

Beth thought of protesting, of screaming and stomping her feet, but she didn't have it in her. And besides. Her sister would never listen. So she reluctantly handed Judith over and made her way around the corner to the kitchen, mentally chastising herself. Why did she have to be so _obedient? _Why couldn't she get people to _listen_ to her?

She stomped into kitchen, flinging open the cupboards and mumbling under her breath.

"What's gotten into ya, Greene?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning around, holding her hand over her heart, she saw Daryl, leaning back on one of the chairs with his feet propped up on the dining table. He was twirling an arrow between his fingers, looking (as Beth couldn't fail to notice) very sexy as he did so.

"Are you always here?" she snipped at him, regretting the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.

But Daryl appeared to take no offence. He just kept staring at her with those cool blue eyes, making her feel very exposed all of a sudden.

He shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly, apparently thinking that movement was sufficient enough to answer her question. "Wanna tell me what's up?" he said, rewording his original question.

"Nothing," she answered, practically growling at him. "Nothing at all. Just that everyone treats me like a gosh-darn child!"

Daryl's eyes widened at the outburst, but the surprise quickly turned to amusement as he smirked at her.

"How's that?" he asked.

"I want to be useful Daryl," Beth said with a sigh, grabbing a box of Cheerios and opening it, grabbing a handful of cereal and munching on it. "I want to help the group."

"Yer already helping by – "

"If you say 'by helping out with Judy' I'll scream," she warned.

"Ah. I see," he said quietly. "Ya wanna go on runs," It was a statement, not a question.

Beth nodded furiously. Of course! Daryl was the one she should have come to from the beginning. He would understand. He would be more than happy to –

"No."

Or maybe not.

"Why not?" she demanded, swallowing a mouthful of cereal. "I'm good with my knife. I take out walkers along the fence nearly every single day. I can do this."

"Taking them out from behind tha safety of tha fence ain't the same thing as bein' out _there_," he told her coldly. " 's jus not safe fer someone like you."

"Someone like _me?"_ she bristled, her eyes narrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yer too soft, Beth," he told her. His tone wasn't harsh or condescending; he was just stating a fact. But it still hurt to hear.

"Then help me," she pleaded.

In a few quick strides, she was standing right beside him, looking down at the hunter who had now noticeably stiffened in his chair. Her big blue eyes stared imploringly into his, silently begging him to help her, to listen to her and not treat her like a child. She needed him to understand that she wasn't asking because she wanted an adventure or something silly like that. It was more than that.

"Please," she whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I need this. Not to prove myself to my father or my sister or anyone else. It's for me alone."

And she knew that he understood. Words weren't necessary when it came to Daryl. He had seen everything that he needed to in her eyes.

With a groan, he lifted his feet off the table and stood up, shying away from Beth's hand. His cheeks were slightly red but apart from that, his face was a blank slate.

"Fine," he said, wincing when Beth gave a high pitched, joyful squeal. "But we're doin' this _ma way._"

"Whatever you say, Daryl," she gushed, giving a little twirl of happiness on her tiptoes. "I won't let you down."

"Which means," he continued with a sharp glare at her. "That yer not comin' on a full-scale run yer first time out. Tomorrow, ya'll come out to tha woods, help with tha traps and _keep yer head down._ A'right?"

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed and without thinking, threw her arms around Daryl's neck and hugged him tightly.

"Okay, okay," he said, turning a brilliant red and pulling away from her, obviously embarrassed with her show of affection. "Don' get so excited yet. We still have to talk to yer sister."

Getting Maggie to agree was no easy task. Her older sister had argued for a good two hours, not just with Daryl but with anyone who took Beth's side. Finally, after both Rick and Glenn had nearly gotten their heads bitten off by the elder Greene sister, it was Michonne who got Maggie to see reason.

"Do you love her?"

"What? Of course I do! How can you even ask me that?"

"If you do," the warrior woman had said, her dark eyes locking into Maggie's. "Then you'll realize that keeping her in this prison is going to get her killed."

"That doesn't make any – "

"She'll never learn to defend herself. You're not doing her any favors by keeping her here. If we have to leave the prison and get split up, she'll be the first to go."

It was the last part that caused the color to drain from Maggie's face and after a few minutes of silence, she finally (though still reluctantly) agreed. But only under the condition that she'd be allowed to go with her sister. Of course, this caused another argument to start between Maggie and Beth, and was only ended when Glenn declared he would go, to make sure that everything went smoothly.

And that would have been fine. Hell, that would have been ideal! Sure, Beth was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't get to go with Daryl on her own, but she would have gotten over it. Unfortunately, as he had a bad habit of doing, Zach got himself on the team as well by making a big, (and overly dramatic, she thought) speech about needed to protect 'his girlfriend'.

So she was going to be babysat. Wonderful. So much for proving herself.

* * *

The next day, early in the morning, the group of four set out. Daryl and Glenn walked ahead of Beth and Zach, quietly talking amongst themselves. Zach was telling her stories about past runs, where he'd fought off 'numerous' Walkers and saved Rick's life. Blah blah blah. If he thought she was buying any of that, then he was sorely mistaken.

They entered the woods, killing the few walkers that got in their way, but it was relatively quiet. Which made Beth a bit nervous. But she pushed her fears aside and reminded herself that this was what she'd wanted, what she'd begged everyone to let her do. Now she had to man up and do her part.

It was a beautiful day. Sun streamed in through the branches of the trees, lighting their way and casting a comforting glow around them. It soothed Beth's nerves a bit. It was nice to see where they were going, nice to at least have the security that the light gave them. Even if that security was false.

They continued walking and Zach continued talking, and she ignored him. Her mind wandered elsewhere and he finally seemed to get the hint, leaving her behind him and walking up closer to Daryl and Glenn. Beth gazed around the forest, surprised yet again at the quiet. Where were all the Walkers? Was it possible that they had left the woods? Perhaps the majority had died out, due to a lack of food?

And then, she saw something that took her breath away. Flowers. God, it had been so long since she'd seen real flowers. She bent down, holding the petals in her hand gently. Bluebells. Her favourite wildflower.

Beth had always had a great love of wildflowers. They needed so little and yet managed to thrive even in the harshest conditions. And what was the zombie apocalypse if not a harsh condition? She gave a small smile, enjoying the feel of the flower in her hands and the sunshine streaming overhead. If there was still such beauty even in this hell, then there must be hope for the future. There must.

That was when she realized that she was alone.

The others were way ahead of her now, apparently not yet noticing that she wasn't behind them. Beth got up, prepared to move after them, when she heard it. The low moan, the shuffling of dead feet that made her blood run cold. She whipped around, and saw the horde coming through the trees. At least ten of them, their rotting faces grinning maniacally and their jaws snapping at her. She gripped the knife at her side and turned in the direction that Daryl and the others were, but they were gone, past the trees that were blocking her view.

She was alone. And surrounded.

Beth felt her knees wobble beneath her, felt the fear creeping up her spine and knew that she was in trouble. There was no way that she could fight them all off alone. So she did the next best thing. She planted her feet firmly in the ground, pointed her knife at the first one and took a deep breath, before she called to the one person who she knew would come running.

"DARYL!"

* * *

And yet, despite their valiant fighting, here she was. On the ground, up against a tree, about to become Walker chow. All because she had let her guard down. The horrible thing snapped its jaws at her, and she kicked at its face, hoping that her boots were strong enough to resist a bite if it came. But the thing gripped her leg, pulling her away from the tree and towards its drooling mouth. Beth clawed at the ground and kicked hard, trying to loosen the Walker's grip on her.

It wasn't working. And she was moving closer and closer to its mouth. She closed her eyes, still thrashing her body, and waited for the pain. But nothing happened. There was a whistling sound and a sharp _thwack_ as something shattered the zombie's skull.

Beth finally dared to open her eyes and saw the back of Daryl's arrow poking out of the back of the Walker's head. And suddenly the hunter was there, picking her up off the ground, his hands gripping the tops of her arms tightly.

"Are ya bit?" he demanded, his voice betraying the panic he was obviously feeling. "Beth? Are ya bit?"

She shook her head no, still too much in shock to open her mouth.

"The hell were ya thinkin' girl?" he growled, his eyes inspecting her body, making sure that she really was unscathed. "How'd ya get so far behind us?"

"I-I was looking at the flowers – "

"Flowers?" he snarled, his eyes narrowing in anger. "Yer telling me that ya almost died because of some stinkin' WEEDS?"

He was furious now, practically shaking, and he looked like he didn't know whether to embrace her or slap her.

"I-I'm sorry," she murmured, meaning it intensely. "I just got distracted for a second. It won't happen again."

"Yer damn right it won't," he growled. "Yer obviously too immature for this."

"No! Daryl, please," she begged, her eyes filling with tears.

He looked away from her, releasing her shoulders as he did. His now cold blue eyes rested on the bluebells. " 's that what distracted ya?"

Beth nodded sadly. Daryl walked up to the flowers and with one swift motion, ripped more than half of them out of the dirt. The blonde gasped, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. Her heart couldn't help but break as she saw him throw them to the ground and grind his heel over them.

She supposed that despite their resilience, even wildflowers couldn't survive the force of nature that was a pissed off Daryl Dixon.

"Zach," he yelled, and the boy was there in a flash. The rest of the walkers had been put down, and both Zach and Glenn had been watching the scene between Beth and Daryl unfold before them.

"Get 'er outta here," Daryl said, purposely keeping his eyes focused on the boy and away from Beth.

"No!" Beth exclaimed, stepping in front of Daryl so that he was forced to look at her. "I know I did the wrong thing, but you have to – "

"I don' _have to_ do anything," Daryl growled at her. "Ya almost got hurt. If I'd been a second later, ya would've been infected. And that woulda been on _me._"

"Don't send me back home," she pleaded. "Please."

For a second, it looked like he might reconsider. His eyes softened as he looked at her, and he reached a hand out towards her face, lingering over the strand of hair that had gotten out of her ponytail. But he drew his hand back at the last second.

"Get outta ma sight, Beth," he told her wearily. And he turned his back on her.

To Beth, it felt like someone had blotted out the sun.

* * *

The next morning, she was curled in the fetal position on her bed, unable to stop the tears running freely down her cheeks. She knew that she deserved this. She had put not only her life at risk, but everyone else's as well. Daryl deserved to be mad at her. She was mad at herself.

Her one chance to prove that she could hold her own, that she could be a contributing member of the group. And she'd blown it. She got up from her bed, deciding that she might as well head down to the kitchen and start breakfast. It was all she was good for anyway.

She made her way down the stairs, holding her cardigan close to her body, her eyes puffy and red. As she stepped into through the kitchen doors, she saw that Carol was already there, getting food ready. The elder woman smiled at Beth.

"Morning sweetie," she said sympathetically. Though no one had said what had happened out in the woods the day before, people sensed that whatever had happened, it wasn't good. And it didn't take a genius to see how upset Beth was.

Beth gave Carol a weak smile, managing to lift her head up long enough to do that. And that was when she saw them.

Bluebells sat in a tall glass filled with soil in the middle of the dining room table. The sun was coming in from the window at the side of the kitchen, illuminating them and making their gorgeous color shine in the light.

"Where…where did these come from?" Beth breathed, walking up to the table and reaching a tentative hand out to touch them, afraid that she was hallucinating.

Carol, who had been facing the stove, turned to face her and gave a small shrug. "They were here when I got up. Whoever put them there has good taste."

Obviously this was just a coincidence. These were left in the kitchen, where everyone spent their time. It would be insane to assume that these flowers were meant for _her. _Yet…

"They sure do brighten up the room," the older woman continued. "Though I don't know if the person who brought them is aware of their meaning…"

Beth looked up at Carol. "Their meaning?" the blonde echoed.

Carol gave a chuckle. "Yes. Let's see, if I remember correctly bluebells stand for loyalty, gratitude, and…"

"And?" Beth asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Carol's blue eyes locked with Beth's and a small smile appeared on her lips before she answered.

"Everlasting love."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I'm a big, sappy romantic. But you all knew that already. Please review and tell me what you think! :)**


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